Jim shot up out of bed when he heard someone unlock his front door and enter.

“Jim!” Karen’s voice bellowed after she closed the door.

“Shit.” He turned to Pam, “Just to say in advance, I am so sorry.” Despite the darkness of the room, his eyes were enough adjusted to see the confused look on her face. Jim jumped out of bed and threw on his boxers, but it was too late. Within a minute of her entering, Karen was in Jim’s bedroom.

“Oh my God.” Was the first thing that Karen said, and was repeated by Pam, which was the only thing she seem to be able to manage saying at the moment.

“Well this is just great, I took the last bus I could to Scranton after hearing your voice message, thinking that someone in your family was either in a car accident or had an aneurism and died… but apparently I was wrong. Or maybe someone did die and this is how you deal with your grief by cheating on me!” Jim winced as he heard her scream the last part.

“Listen, Karen, let me explain.” He gave Pam an apologetic look, yet his blood ran cold when he saw the anger on her face. He lightly grabbed Karen’s arm as to suggest they go outside his bedroom to talk.

By the time both he and Karen were in his living room, tears were streaming down her face. “I never thought you’d be one of these guys, Jim. How long have you been with her behind my back.”

“It’s not like that Karen, I swear. I was going to talk to you about us first, but I don’t know what happened. You kept talking about how great it would be for us to move to New York and how we had to get away from Scranton, but I love Scranton, this is my home.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault, great!”

“No of course it’s not your fault. That’s not what I’m saying. I know I messed up, I’m sorry. But even before tonight, things with us just weren’t working out, you must have felt that too.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I went out and screwed the nearest guy because of it.”

“Karen, I’m sorry. I truly, truly am. I don’t know what else to say. I did have feelings for you, I never cheated on you…before this. I wanted us to work, but I can’t keep fighting this losing battle, and today in New York at that meeting, it finally came clear to me what my life is and what I want my life to be. And I want Scranton, I like my job now. I don’t want to live in New York and work at Corporate now, or ten years down the road. It’s just not in the cards for me.

“Jim, be honest with yourself. It’s not Scranton you love, it’s her that you love.” Pointing her finger to the closed bedroom door.

He heard Karen sigh, “so this is over. Maybe it’s for the best. When I was in New York, I didn’t have a whole lot to bitch about with my girlfriends, I thought my life was going so well, so thank you Jim for giving me a ranting conversation topic. I’m sorry I don’t share your admiration of this town. I came here for you, and without you and me as an us here, I don’t see the point in sticking around. I, for one, do love New York. And if Dunder Mifflin won’t hire me there, I’m sure there are a million other companies who will.”

“I really do wish you the best.” Jim went in to kiss her cheek, but she turned away before he could. She took his house key off of her keychain before dropping it on the floor and walking out. She didn’t bother to say goodbye.

Jim honestly didn’t know how Pam would react to this news. He knew he should have broken things off with Karen before he moved on with Pam. But at the time, all he cared about was driving back to Scranton being with her, making a move on their relationship. He quickly realized it was not the best course of action.

When he walked back into bedroom, Pam was fully dressed, tying her shoelaces. Clearly, his battle with Karen was only the start.

“You’re still with Karen?! You didn’t even break up with her before deciding to screw me. So you know what, screw you!” She threw the nearest pillow at his face.

“Pam, wait a second. Please. True, I hadn’t yet broken up with her when we went out tonight, but it was only because I didn’t have time to do so. You have to understand, when I was in New York and got your note and the yogurt medal, everything became so clear, and I knew that you were who I wanted. All I could think about was what a dumbass I had been since I came back from Stamford, you were single and I was crazy not to realize that I was wasting time that we could be together. I just figured I would break things off with Karen when she returned to Scranton. I realize now that it was a huge mistake. Please… Pam… Don’t leave.”

“Do you know what that felt like?” She huffed, “To be the other woman!” She stopped to take a breath. “I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life, Jim. You took me out, you slept with me, all while you had a girlfriend that thought you two were still together. She came back here because she thought she should be here to comfort you through some horrible crisis… and she finds us in bed together. Jim, I just…” His heart sank and broke into a million pieces as he watched her try to formulate the words he knew would further tear away at his soul. “You’ve hurt me more than I ever thought possible. Apparently I don’t know you as well as I thought I did.”

He tried to stop her as she past him and exited the bedroom. “Pam… you do know me! Better than anyone, probably better than I know myself. I don’t know how to make you understand how sorry I am. What can I do to make it up to you. Please, I don’t want to lose you, not again. I love you, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. Don’t let this screw-up of mine ruin what we have, what we could be.”

She broke down into a sob as she opened the front door that Karen has slammed shut a mere ten minutes ago. “I don’t feel the same… not anymore. I’m sorry Jim, but I’m going to need some time on this. I know to you it seems like I’m being stupid, but this triangle with you, me, and Karen has been plaguing me ever since you came back and now this, when I finally think we’re both in the clear to really give this a go, I find out you didn’t even end things with her yet.” She looked him straight in the eye, “Can I just ask you one thing.”

“Anything”

“Was this just a trial thing? See which girl you liked dating better?” While she had stopped sobbing, she couldn’t stop the tears which were now freely streaming down her face, and he could hear her voice falter as she asked him.

Jim heaved a sigh and shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. Pam, it’s me, you know me. I just made a mistake, I’m sorry I didn’t end things with Karen. Trust me when I say that I was going too, I was not going to drag this out. And I never wanted to hurt you. I’ll do anything, please, let’s work this out.”

He knew that when she refused to make any more eye contact with him that he was fighting a losing battle.

“I have to go.” Before he could protest and beg one last time for forgiveness, she was out the door and gone.

He looked out the window and watched her get into a cab. He realized she must have called one while he was having it out with Karen. When the taillights rounded the corner and disappeared, he slumped against the door, defeated.

A half an hour ago he had the woman of his dreams in his arms. He was happy that life was finally going the way he always hoped it would, and he had never been happier. Now, the world has turned completely upside down because he had made the biggest mistake of his life. Jim didn’t even feel the pain or the blood drip down his wrist and arm when he punched the wall next to him. “Dammit” he yelled.

On Monday Pam was not at work, she had called in. Michael called Jim into his office after lunch to explain to him that the both of them needed to go and clinch an important sale in Tampa Florida. And as a result, Michael had already booked an extended stay since he wanted to go to Disney World while he was there.

“Come on Jim, think of how fun it will be! We’ll get to meet Mickey Mouse… I mean… Mickey Mouse. This is going to be great!” Just me and you, a couple of Mifflerites taking an extended business trip to Florida to make a huge sale, flirt with hot babes in bikinis, and ride every ride at Magic Kingdom… I hear that Dumbo ride is freakin’ fantastic!”

Jim was stuck. Michael had already booked the plane tickets and he didn’t want to spend another couple hundred dollars on a different flight. They were leaving tomorrow, meaning he wouldn’t be able to talk to Pam before he left. He hoped that in that week apart, hopefully both of them would be able to clear their heads and he could talk to her when he returned, they would work things out, and he could leave this nightmare.

Still before he left, he went over to her house, but she wasn’t home. Her absent car in the driveway confirmed that. He tried called her, but it continuously went to voicemail. Even during the business trip, he left numerous voice messages, reminding her of how sorry he was, ending with his hope that they will be able to work through this. He always ended each message with “I love you, Pam.”

None of his messages were returned.

When he arrived back in Scranton and Dunder Mifflin, he was further disappointed by the news that Pam had taken a vacation week and would not be back at work until the following Monday.

It would be over two weeks from their disastrous first date when Jim next saw Pam. He noted that she looked awful. He walked over to her desk once she settled in, but all she said was “Please Jim. Go back to your desk.” The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene, so he obeyed and turned around to sulk back to his chair, wondering how he was going to make things right again.